With his death, the country has lost a unique musician, according to South Africa's Minister of Culture Nathi Mthethwa. In a career spanning almost six decades, Masekela gained international recognition with his distinctive Afro-jazz sounds, which he played on the trumpet and also lent his vocals to.
Hugh Masekela's family released a statement on the morning of January 23 announcing his death: "After a protracted and courageous battle with prostate cancer, he passed peacefully in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Sal Masekela tweeted that his father had "hung up his horn after a long battle with prostate cancer. Born in Kwa-Guqa Township in present-day Mpumalanga Province in , Masekela was a musically gifted child who learned the piano at a young age. At age 14, he took up playing the trumpet. His first trumpet was given to him by British-born Archbishop Trevor Huddleston, an early white anti-apartheid activist.
By the late s, Masekela was performing to sold-out audiences in Cape Town and Johannesburg as part of the Jazz Epistles — the first South African jazz group to record an album. In he left South Africa following the March 21 Sharpeville massacre, which saw 69 people brutally killed and resulted in a government ban of large gatherings.
Archbishop Huddleston helped in facilitating his exile. Hugh Masekela focused on his career as a performer throughout the s and 70s, touring music festivals around the world and recording several successful hits in the US such as "Up, Up and Away" and "Grazing in the Grass" Masekela joined jazz ensembles during this period and collaborated with musicians such as Paul Simon, always spreading his message against apartheid throughout the globe.
In the s, he supported Simon during his "Graceland" tour, which featured a number of other South African artists such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Masekela's ex-wife, Miriam Makeba. Masekela has been hailed not only as outstanding musician but also as one of the greatest activists against apartheid, leading to the peaceful transition to democracy in South Africa in Masekela's death prompted an outpouring of tributes to his music and anti-apartheid activism.
Musicians and politicians alike reacted to the death of one of South Africa's most beloved musicians. South African president Jacob Zuma shared a message on Twitter expressing his "heartfelt condolences" on Masekela's passing, highlighting his achievements as an "acclaimed jazz artist, legendary trumpeter, cultural activist and liberation struggle veteran.
The spokeswoman of the Democratic Alliance DA , South Africa's largest opposition party, Phumzile Van Damme, meanwhile tweeted pictures of the late musician, saying "Jazz is nourishment for the soul. Former South African President Nelson Mandela 's personal aide, Zelda la Grange, said on Twitter that Masekela's "song may have ended but his music will never stop playing.
South African musician Loyiso Bala meanwhile tweeted that he felt "shattered" to hear about Hugh Masekela's passing. Hugh Masekela was previously married to South African singer and civil right activist, Miriam Makeba. They were married in and were divorced two years later in In he tied the knot to Chris Calloway but it was short lived divorcing her that same year.
He then was married for a third time to Jabu Mbatha. Elinam Cofie and Masakela became husband and wife in , they were married for a total of years prior to his passing. Updated Apr 4, at am. His life and music have reflected the struggles of the anti-apartheid era and the subsequent years of black majority rule. So why does he now describe South Africa as fast turning into a rubbish dump and becoming removed from its authentic,… T Play 21 Icons : Hugh Masekela : Short Film Filmmaker Adrian Steirn extracts highlights from the incredible life and times of iconic musician Hugh Masekela, who, among other gems, reveals why he was called "Slow Poison" on the soccer field, and why he would talk to imaginary friends in New York's Central Park during his year exile from South Africa.
Icon portraits, short films… T Following the 21 March Sharpeville Massacre—where 69 peacefully protesting Africans were shot dead in Sharpeville, and the South African government banned gatherings of ten or more people—and… T Play Young Man with a Horn — Original Theatrical Trailer The tragic life of jazz great Bix Beiderbecke, one of the few white musicians to flourish in the mostly black jazz scene.
Pennebaker documentary Monterey Pop. All rights etc. Published Apr 4, at am.
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